Reviews RCD2202
The actor Bill Pullman's parents were quite old when he was born, so apparently they felt too tired to object when he pursued a career in entertainment. Pullman's daughter, Maesa, doesn't sound like she'd be put off from her goals either. As a singer in cahoots with Norwegian veteran H.P. Gundersen, she fronts a band known as The Last Hurrah!! It's a fairly fluid project and one that received much credit for its Mudflowers debut effort. Gundersen is something of a legend around Bergen and has produced the likes of Tim Rose. As a songwriter he's steeped in Americana lore, but there's more in his armoury than a few West Coast retreads. Los Angeles is a flux of sounds drawn from pedal steel, wurlitzer, sax, brass and strings. Not to mention Pullman's vocals, which have the sass of Carly Simon and the spook of Margo Timmins. 'The Story' kicks off this fine eight-track offering, using solemn organ and a waltzy psych-beat. 'Bloodline' draws strength from The Gun Outfit's desert blues, with a pounding twang, as does the comforting slow dance of 'The Waltz'. Spacey jazz-rock on 'The Blues' could be Sun Ra led by Sharon Van Etten, but the stand-out gem is cruising country ballad, 'Red Rose'.
Rock N Reel (UK)
Gundersens leading lady nå er sangeren Maesa Pullman. Resten av gruppa er en blanding av gamle og nye medspillere, både fra Bergen og Los Angeles. Jazzelementet besørges av det entusiastiske saksofonspillet til Jon Irabagon. Etter å ha lest boka er det ekstra hyggelig å se at han har med seg Kåre Sandvik på keyboards, en mann som går igjen og igjen gjennom svært mye Gundersen har vært innblandet i, og som han i boka beskriver som den viktigste personen i hele hans musikalske liv. Det overordnede uttrykket ligger et sted mellom country og klassisk pop, akkurat der vi vet at hans hjerte er helt fortapt. En rekke smellvakre sanger som er til å smelte av.
Dagsavisen (NO)